EVENT HANDLING IN STORAGE AREA NETWORKS

• US 20150149822A1
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Coronado, Juan A., Martinez, Lisa R., Olson, James E., Peterson, Beth A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities

Abstract

Storage area network (SAN) components contain a processor configured to provide a first event handling module that can receive an error event at a first hardware component of the storage area network. A database is accessed that contains associations between error event data and potential sources of errors. A plurality of hardware components are identified using the database and error event data. The hardware components are ranked and one is selected based on the ranking. An error notification is sent to a second event handling module of the hardware component. Based upon the response of the second event handling module, an error handling procedure is carried out.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for handling error events relating to a storage area network, the method comprising:

receiving an error event at a first hardware component of the storage area network;

using, in response to the error event, a first event handling module operating on the first hardware component to;

access a database containing associations between error event data and potential sources of errors;

identify a plurality of hardware components based on similarities between the associations in the database and error event data contained in the error event;

generate a ranking for the plurality of hardware components;

select, based on the ranking, a particular hardware component from the plurality of hardware components;

transmit an error notification to a second event handling module of the particular hardware component of the plurality of hardware components;

monitor a response of the second event handling module to the error notification; and

carry out an error handling procedure based on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a self test of the particular hardware component using the second event handling module.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the response indicates that the particular hardware component is not the source of the error; and

transmitting, in response to determining, another error notification to another hardware component from the plurality of hardware components.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a first software version identifier of the first event handling module to a second software version identifier to identifies an update to the first event handling module; and

applying, in response to a mismatch between the first and second version identifiers, the update to the first event handling module.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a first version identifier of the database to a second version identifier in order to identify an update to the database; and

applying, in response to a mismatch between the first and second version identifiers, the update to the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein rank the plurality of hardware components includes determining a probability that the hardware components are the source of the error event and ordering the hardware components based upon the probability.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmit an error notification to a second event handling module of the particular hardware component of the plurality of hardware components includes transmission of at least one from a group consisting of an interrupt message and a diagnostic command.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the first event handling module to select another hardware component from the plurality of hardware components by comparing a likelihood of the hardware component being the source of the error event to a threshold level.

9. A system comprising:

at least one storage area network (SAN) component with a processor configured to provide a first event handling module that is configured to;

receive an error event at a first hardware component of the storage area network;

access a database containing associations between error event data and potential sources of errors;

identify a plurality of hardware components based on similarities between the associations in the database and error event data contained in the error event;

generate a ranking for the plurality of hardware components;

select, based on the ranking, a particular hardware component from the plurality of hardware components;

transmit an error notification to a second event handling module of the particular hardware component of the plurality of hardware components;

monitor a response of the second event handling module to the error notification; and

carry out an error handling procedure based on the response.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising the plurality of the hardware components and wherein each hardware component is configured provide a respective event handling module.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising the particular hardware component, wherein the particular hardware component is configured to perform a self test of the particular hardware component using the second event handling module.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first event handling module is further configured to:

determine that the response indicates that the particular hardware component is not the source of the error; and

transmit, in response to determining, another error notification to another hardware component from the plurality of hardware components.

13. The system of claim 9, further including a synchronization module that is configured to:

comparing a first software version identifier of the first event handling module to a second software version identifier to identifies an update to the first event handling module; and

applying, in response to a mismatch between the first and second version identifiers, the identified update to the first event handling module.

14. The system of claim 9, further including a synchronization module that is configured to:

compare a first version identifier of the database to a second version identifier in order to identify an update to the database; and

apply, in response to a mismatch between the first and second version identifiers, the update to the database.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein rank the plurality of hardware components includes determining a probability that the hardware components are the source of the error event and ordering the hardware components based upon the probability as determined.

16. A computer program product for handling error events relating to a storage area network, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable/executable by a computer to:

receive an error event at a first hardware component of the storage area network;

use, in response to the error event, a first event handling module operating on the first hardware component to;

access a database containing associations between error event data and potential sources of errors;

identify a plurality of hardware components based on similarities between the associations in the database and error event data contained in the error event;

generate a ranking for the plurality of hardware components;

select, based on the ranking, a particular hardware component from the plurality of hardware components;

transmit an error notification to a second event handling module of the particular hardware component of the plurality of hardware components;

monitor the response of the second event handling module to the error notification; and

carry out an error handling procedure based on the response.